


Dark Waltz

by vix_spes



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - No Magic, M/M, Musicians, SeverusBigBang, Teacher-Student Relationship, Underage Kissing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-03-18
Updated: 2010-03-18
Packaged: 2018-04-11 21:10:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 2
Words: 12,354
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4452494
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vix_spes/pseuds/vix_spes
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>World-renowned soloist and Professor of Violin at Hogwarts Academy of Music, Severus Snape has never been attracted to a student before. Violin prodigy Harry Evans-Potter is talent and beauty all wrapped up in one incredibly tempting package. The only problem is that he is still fifteen years old. Will Severus be able to resist him?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I have taken some liberties with ages – thus Severus is four years younger than his normal peers (Lily, Remus, Sirius etc.) and the same applies to Harry.

“Bloody hell, Harry! What on earth have you got in this thing?” Sirius Black staggered under the weight of the box he was carrying as he moved it over to the Range Rover Lily had hired. “Is it full of rocks?!”  
  
Sirius’ fifteen-year-old godson Harry Evans-Potter glared at himbefore folding his arms across his chest and pouting. “Don’t be mean Sirius!” The pout disappeared as Sirius’ long-term lover Remus Lupin wrapped his arms around Harry from behind. “It’s all my music,” Harry continued. “I don’t know what I’m going to need or what he’s going to want to hear. I thought it was easier to just take it rather than have to ring mum and have her post it to me.”  
  
Lily grinned as she lugged a suitcase of Harry’s clothes out of the room that was his when they stayed at Remus and Sirius’. “You have a point, love, seeing as I will be back in France within the week.”  
  
Harry smiled as he watched the three adults fussing over how best to pack the car. They were his family and the only parental figures Harry had ever known. He had never met his father, although he knew who he was. James Potter, ex-lead singer of The Marauders, had abandoned Lily Evans at the age of eighteen upon realising that she was pregnant with his child. He had taken to the lifestyle of a rock star entirely too eagerly and all too well; alcohol, drugs and women – he was equally fond of them all. Three number 1 best-selling albums and a world tour later, guitarist Remus Lupin and bass player Sirius Black, his son’s godfathers, had walked out on the band in disgust at James’ behaviour. After handing a lump sum to Lily he hadn’t been in touch since and Harry hadn’t tried to contact him. Lily, pregnant and just eighteen, returned to her native France to find a job and have her baby. She and Harry had lived in Paris until now with Harry attending the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique in Paris.  
  
“Harry!”  
  
Green eyes snapped up and he realised with a blush that all three of them were staring at him with more than a little amusement. “Um ... I’m sorry?”  
  
Sirius snorted, earning himself an elbow in the ribs from Lily before she spoke.  
  
“We’re all packed up and ready to go. You just need to get your violin, bag and laptop.”  
  
“Ok.” Harry nodded and made to go up to his room before he paused and turned back to the two men. “Do I have to say goodbye to you now?”  
  
Remus smiled and shook his head. “No, we’re going to come with you as we have a couple of days off. We’re coming by bike; I think you’re going to need help with all of your things. Knowing your luck, you’ll probably be at the top of one of the towers.”  
  
Harry giggled at the theatrical groan Sirius let out before it was cut off by Remus’ hand slapping across his mouth. The giggles intensified as Remus pulled a face when Sirius licked his palm.  
  
“Sirius, that’s disgusting! How old are you? Go on, put your helmet on and get on the bike. Harry, grab your things and get in the car, the drive will be long enough as it is. We’ve already arranged with your mum where we’ll meet you for lunch. We’ll see you in about four hours.”  
  


~*~

  
  
A torturous eight hours later, Lily turned off the road and onto the track that led to Hogwarts Academy. Ten minutes up the track, as they rounded a bend, Harry was given his first view of the old castle in all its glory. He had heard tales of Hogwarts from his mother as well as Remus and Sirius but he had never imagined that he would actually attend. While he was happy to be going to Hogwarts, the thing he was really excited about was having lessons with Severus Snape himself. Last summer, just after he had graduated from the CNSM, he had timed one of his lessons in London so that he could go and watch the man in the Proms at the Royal Albert Hall, playing the Elgar Violin Concerto with the Philharmonia Orchestra. Severus Snape was regarded as the best English violinist of his generation. Despite his predominantly Russian pedagogy he was critically acclaimed for his interpretations of the great English composers: Elgar, Walton, Britten and Vaughn-Williams. That night was no exception. Harry came away from the concert totally oblivious to everything else that had been played; only aware of the soloist and the concerto he had played. Not only was he completely in awe of Snape’s talent, he was also highly aware of how attractive he found him.  
  
Soon after that, Lily had announced her decision regarding Russia and explained that she had enrolled Harry as a student of Severus at her old alma mater, Hogwarts. Now, Harry looked up at the castle with a grin at the knowledge that this would be his home for the next year. Leaving Sirius and Remus with the Range Rover and the bike, Harry grabbed his messenger bag and followed his mother into the reception area where Molly Weasley, Head of Administration, sat waiting behind a desk. It didn’t take long to fill out the necessary paperwork and sign the pile of documents, and Harry soon had a handful of keys and swipe cards; keys for his private room/suite (he was at the top of the North tower), the practise rooms in the castle itself and the instrument store, swipe cards for the new practise rooms and the tower he had been assigned to. He was feeling a bit dazed by it all as he was handed his timetable. Just then, he heard his mum exclaim loudly.  
  
“Severus!”  
  
It appeared that he would be meeting his new teacher a bit sooner than he had anticipated. He couldn’t think of anything to say and felt like a child. He groaned to himself, this was not the time to become star struck! He turned around to see the man himself walking towards them, kissing his mum on the cheek with a smile.  
  
“Well, well, well. Lily Potter. What brings you back to Hogwarts?”  
  
Lily smiled, wrapping an arm around Harry’s shoulders and pulling him forward to stand next to her. “It’s actually Lily Evans, Sev. It was never Lily Potter; the bastard walked out on me when I was pregnant. I’m here because my son is studying here – he’s actually going to be one of your students this year. Sev, this is my son Harry Evans. Harry, this is your new professor, Severus Snape.”  
  
“Hi.” Harry blushed as he shook the man’s hand. “It’s nice to meet you.”  
  
“Mr Evans. You’re one of my new pupils eh? Which year will you be in? How old are you anyway?”  
  
Harry smiled shyly as he answered the man’s questions. “I’m fifteen and I’m going to be in the graduating class. I graduated from the CNSM in Paris a year ago but mum won’t let me take up my scholarship in Russia until I’m sixteen. Mum, I’m going to go and give Remy and Siri the good news that I am on the top floor. They can show me where my room is so you can catch up with Mr Snape.”  
  
Lily nodded and gave her son a one-armed hug, watching him make his way back outside, before turning back to Severus. “Have you got time for a quick catch-up with an old friend?”  
  
Severus smiled. “Of course I have. Come this way, we can have a cup of tea in my office. Are you sure that your son will be okay? Remy and Siri, that wouldn’t happen to be Remus Lupin and Sirius Black would it?”  
  
Lily grinned and took Severus’ arm as he led her in the direction of his office. “It would indeed. They used to be in the Marauders with James but they were disgusted at the way he treated me. They were never truly happy in the Marauders anyway; it was a rock band and they were primarily classical musicians. They left and successfully gained positions in the orchestra of the Royal Opera House; Remus is principal violist and Sirius is a bassist there. They’ve done very well for themselves. Things fell apart for the Marauders after that anyway; Peter Pettigrew, do you remember him? He died of a drugs overdose and James was left as a lead singer without a band. Anyway, enough about James bloody Potter. You seem to have done well for yourself, Sev; a rather cushy job here and all of your solo work.”  
  
“Yes. I’m only here for a couple of years as a favour to Albus. He had lost his previous senior tutor and needed somebody at the last minute. He’s rather good about it and gives me all the time I need off to continue my solo career.” By this point they had reached Severus’ office and he placed a tea set on the table between them. “So, Harry. I had to admit that I didn’t connect the name with you when I spotted him on my register; I hadn’t expected you to have a child. He said that he graduated from the CNSM a year ago so he was fourteen?”  
  
Lily grinned. “Yep, the same age as you when you graduated from here. He’s been offered a scholarship at the Moscow P.I. Tchaikovsky Conservatory but I don’t want him to go there by himself until he’s sixteen. He’s had a year out studying privately with the concertmasters of the Opera Garnier and the Royal Opera House. I enrolled him here because I was worried that his social life and social skills were suffering. He’s spent too many years with much older students and too much time with only his godfathers and me for company. I spent the best years of my life here and even you can’t deny that being here did you good. Besides, he will be studying with Sacha Behkmembatov next year in Russia – I know that you studied with him while you were there. He’s a good boy, Sev, and a wonderfully talented violinist. Please, keep an eye on him.”  
  
The violinist nodded. “I promise Lily. I will do the best I can.”  
  
Lily grinned and leaned over to press a kiss to his cheek. “Right then, I’d better go and give him a hand. No doubt Sirius will be acting melodramatically over the fact that Harry’s quartered at the top of the North tower.”  
  


~*~

  
  
As Lily had thought, Sirius was being melodramatic and all three men were apparently rather slow at emptying the Range Rover; it looked as though barely any boxes had been moved. Picking up one of the lighter boxes, Lily made her own way up to the Tower, memories flooding back to her as she traversed the familiar corridors of her teenage years. Lily hadn’t lived in one of the towers when she was a student, having been assigned one of the rooms on the third floor, so she had no idea of what to expect. She certainly hadn’t thought that Harry would be in a suite, sharing with one other boy in his year. Harry seemed to be happy though, engrossed in conversation with a tall, elegant blond boy whilst Remus and Sirius talked to two other familiar looking blonds.  
  
“Lucius Malfoy? Narcissa Black?” Lily was incredulous that two of her peers had a child who was apparently rooming with her son.  
  
“Lily Evans!” Narcissa Black, well it would appear that she was a Malfoy now, stood up and moved gracefully over to the redhead, kissing her affectionately and genuinely on both cheeks. “It would appear that our sons are sharing a suite together this year. I’m so pleased that Draco’s actually got a suite-mate to be living with.”  
  
Lily smiled and then cleared her throat. “Yes, well. Harry won’t actually be doing any living unless certain people bother to empty my car of his things.”  
  
Remus, Sirius and Harry all jumped, looking rather sheepish, as did Draco and Lucius after a rather pointed look from Narcissa. “Yes. I was thinking precisely the same thing. Gentlemen, why don’t you go and bring the boys’ things while Lily and I catch up.” The words were phrased in such a way that the men knew this was a statement and not a question.  
  


~*~

  
  
Harry had been a student at Hogwarts Academy for six weeks when he came to a startling (and rather scary) realisation; he had a major crush on his violin professor. He’d had about three lessons so far and each one had been fantastic. Everything about Hogwarts had been fantastic. He was getting on incredibly well with Draco and was relishing the fact that, for the first time in years, he had a friend who was close to his own. Draco Malfoy was seventeen, a pianist and conductor and, like Harry, somewhat of a prodigy. His parents, Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy, were the most famous couple in the opera world and travelled widely meaning that Draco had had a very nomadic childhood. Upon his graduation from Hogwarts, Draco had a scholarship to the N.A. Rimsky-Korsakov Conservatory in St. Petersburg, the same Conservatory that his godfather, Severus Snape, had attended.  
  
The two of them were sharing one of twelve suites at Hogwarts, three in each tower. They each had a bedroom and then shared a living room, small kitchenette and bathroom. Their bedrooms were rather old-fashioned in style with lots of dark wood, four-poster beds and ornate furniture whilst the bathroom didn’t have a shower but instead a free-standing bathtub on clawed feet. Draco had quickly become the older brother Harry had never had.  
  


~*~

  
  
Harry and Draco came out of the underground at Victoria station with their luggage, both their laptops and Harry’s violin to see Remus waiting by a black cab. Draco grinned indulgently as Harry squealed and flung himself towards the older man, ecstatic to see him again. Harry cut a striking figure in his forest green coat and white hat, scarf and glove set. Draco was reminded just how small and skinny his suite-mate was as Remus picked him up and swung him around in the air in a giant hug. A very generous passer-by gave Draco a hand with the bags and cases and he was soon getting a warm welcome from the older man.  
  
“Where’s Siri?” Harry asked as soon as they were settled in the cab and on their way to the house the couple had bought with Sirius’ inheritance from his Uncle Alphard.  
  
“He’s gone to pick your mum up from Heathrow. Her flight was due in a couple of hours ago and so they’ll get back not much later than us.”  
  
Draco was really looking forward to this; a family Christmas in a proper home. His parents had always ensured that they were together for Christmas but more often than not they had been in a hotel or a rented apartment for the holiday and it had never felt right. They owned an inherited manor but they hadn’t lived there since Draco was two years old, so even Malfoy Manor didn’t feel like home. This year, his parents had been booked for a concert appearance in Italy and for the first time ever he wasn’t going to be with his parents for the holiday season.  
  
Two weeks later, both boys were being dropped back at Victoria to catch the tube up towards Kings Cross station, from where they would get a train back up to Scotland and Hogwarts. As they were both only children, they were now struggling with the extra baggage that held the Christmas presents they had been given, primarily sheet music, scores, CDs and DVDs. They had both had a wonderful holiday and were now thoroughly relaxed in time for their return to the Academy. The fortnight had been two full weeks of family, good food and lots of music. Even Draco’s parents had made a welcome appearance. To his surprise and delight they had flown in on Christmas Eve and spent Christmas Day with them before flying back in time for their concert on Boxing Day.  
  
It had been exactly what the boys needed after the stresses of the first term. Remus was in full mother-hen mode and in his element as he cooked mountains of food, whilst Sirius kept the alcohol flowing. The two teenagers had had five professional musicians to bounce ideas off and offer constructive criticism about the repertoire they were currently working on. What more could they want? Well, the results of the concerto competition for one thing.  
  


~*~

  
  
The concerto competition was an annual event at Hogwarts Academy of Music. Towards the end of the autumn term, all of the graduating class were eligible to enter the concerto competition. Each department had their own competition and the winner of each was then allowed to perform a concerto of his or her choice with the Academy Sinfonia. A soloist was then picked from the winners of the individual departments and that soloist performed a concerto with the Academy Symphony Orchestra. The Sinfonia was made up of the lower years of the academy whilst the Symphony Orchestra was made up of the senior years and thus the best of the best.  
  
All of the entrants were left to sweat over the Christmas holidays whilst a decision was reached and then the winners were posted on the departmental boards on the first day of the spring term. The notices went up at nine am, but by half-past eight there was already a crowd of anxious students waiting to discover what the results were.  
  
Harry and Draco, despite not being any less nervous than anybody else, had waited until just after nine fifteen to go down to the office. They knew that it would be crowded and so had decided to wait for a while. When they made their way down their patience was rewarded, to the disgust of some of their rivals. Both boys had been successful, Draco winning the competition in the Piano Department with his rendition of Rachmaninov’s Second Piano Concerto and Harry winning for the String Department with a performance of Szymanowski’s First Violin Concerto.  
  


~*~

  
  
Four months later...  
  
Severus handed his papers to the airport staff at the gate, keeping a firm hold on his violin as he did so. It was ridiculously early in the morning, as he was on the first plane to Russia from Heathrow after catching an overnight train from Scotland. Two days previously, he had received a phone call from Sacha, who desperately needed a violinist. Severus was only too pleased to accept. He needed to get away from Hogwarts and he needed to get away from Harry.  
  
Harry Evans.  
  
The teenager who haunted Severus’ dreams like nobody else had ever done. Not even his brief infatuation with Lucius Malfoy had affected him like Harry did. He had realised by the end of the first lesson with Harry that he was screwed.  
  


_***Flashback***_

  
  
Severus waited in the small recital hall for his latest pupil. He had several other pupils in the graduating class; namely Ginny Weasley, Blaise Zabini, and Theo Nott, but he had little time or patience for any of them. Theo had lots of technical ability but little musicality and very little passion for the subject. There wasn’t enough there to make a professional musician. He would no doubt become an adequate teacher but he would never be a performer. When it came to Ginny Weasley and Blaise Zabini he couldn’t decide which of them was the biggest whore. Neither limited themselves to the opposite sex and he knew that they spent more time sleeping around than they did practising. They were lucky in the fact that they had enough natural talent and ability to get by, but he was disgusted at the fact that they were amongst the fortunate ones to gain a place at Hogwarts yet were happy to throw it all away in carnal lust.  
  
He just hoped that Harry Evans would be different.  
  
He had a feeling that he would be. Lily Evans had been the nicest, most dedicated and naturally talented pianist in his year and he had loved the woman dearly. He also had to admit to himself that he liked the two men he knew were Harry’s godfathers, Sirius Black and Remus Lupin. They had both been talented and dedicated musicians. They had just had the misfortune to be friends with that complete arsehole James Potter. He looked up from his thoughts as the door opened and Harry slipped through it, holding his violin as well as a sizeable pile of music.  
  
Severus scrutinised him closely, as he hadn’t an opportunity to do so when Lily introduced them. Looking at the boy, he realised that there was very little of James Potter in Harry’s looks, and he knew, from what Lily had said, that Harry had had no contact with James at all and thus wouldn’t possess any aspects of his personality either. As he appraised the teenager he realised with a jolt that he found him gorgeous; he’d never had that bolt of instant attraction before and was stunned that he had felt it for a boy fourteen years his junior.  
  
Harry was 5’6” with an elfin, almost feminine figure. His long black hair which had red highlights was pulled back in a loose braid, and he had inherited Lily’s amazing bright emerald eyes. He also, Severus realised with a grin, had an absolutely incredible smile.  
  
“Hi Professor Snape. I’m not late am I?”  
  
Severus unfolded himself from his chair and gestured for Harry to dump his music and case on top of the grand piano. “No, not at all. What are you going to play for me? You seem to have brought rather a selection with you.”  
  
Harry blushed brightly and Severus found himself distracted by how attractive it looked on the high cheekbones. Shaking himself mentally, he tuned back into what Harry was saying.  
  
“I know it’s a lot of music but I’ve had two teachers for the last year and both of them have been working on completely different repertoire with me. Plus, mum has gone back to Paris and I wasn’t sure what you would want to hear me play.”  
  
“What was the last thing that you worked on with your teachers?”  
  
“Sarasate’s Carmen Fantasy and Ysaye’s Solo Sonata No.3.”  
  
Severus nodded. “It’s far too early in the morning for the Ysaye. Play the Sarasate.”  
  
He looked on with interest as Harry brought out what looked to be a del Gésu and tuned it carefully, before preparing himself and starting to play. Severus had begun to slouch back down into his chair but after a few notes he shot back up, eyes riveted on the boy who stood on the stage, completely lost in the music.  
  
This was the student he had been hoping and praying for; somebody who had natural talent in spades, flawless technique and passion for the music. The fact that he was also gorgeous didn’t hurt.  
  
By the end of the lesson, Severus knew that he was smitten. Not only was Harry incredibly talented and incredibly gorgeous, he was a genuinely lovely person. Harry Evans-Potter was just a bundle of temptation. All Severus had to do now was resist him.  
  


_***End Flashback***_

  
  
“Mr Snape? Mr Snape?”  
  
“I’m sorry?” He looked up to see that the perky blonde woman in a British Airways uniform was trying to hand his passport and boarding card back to him.  
  
“You were miles away, Sir. It won’t be too long until you’re in the air and then you can get some sleep. Just walk this way and a flight attendant will show you to your seat.”  
  
“Thank you very much.”  
  
Severus accepted his passport and boarding card, adjusted the strap of his violin case and picked up his leather satchel before walking down the gangway. He needed to get as far away from Hogwarts and from Harry as possible. Hopefully this time in Russia would help him to realise the futility of a relationship, or any kind of unprofessional interaction, with the boy.  
  


~*~

  
  
Back in Scotland...  
  
Harry smiled at Hermione Granger as he arrived in the small recital room for her rehearsal. He had grown fond of the soprano over the last year although he wasn’t as close to her as he was to Draco. They were here to rehearse for her final recital and it looked as though Harry was the first of the musicians to arrive. Hermione had chosen one slightly unusual piece to perform: Dark Waltz, a piece that had been recorded by the Kiwi singer Hayley Westenra. Normally it fell into the category of ‘popera’ but it had fit her theme of ‘Night Music’ perfectly and a friend had arranged it for a combination of solo violin, piano, string quartet and harp. Harry wouldn’t have agreed to do this under normal circumstances, especially with his own recital and several concert performances looming, but he desperately needed to try and take his mind off the fact that Severus was still in Russia and showing no signs of returning.  
  
As far as Harry was concerned, things couldn’t get much worse. Not only had he fallen hard for his teacher but with less than two months to his recital the man had upped and left without a word. When he had spoken to Professor Dumbledore, he hadn’t learnt anything other than that Professor Snape had been offered a series of concerts across Moscow and St. Petersburg performing several violin concerti. When Harry divulged his concerns, the only thing the old man had been able to say was that the Academy would pay for Harry to travel and have lessons with whichever of his old teachers he wished to study with.  
  
He had made the decision to go back to Sergey Vassilev at the Royal Opera House. He could have gone to Pawel in Paris but decided against it as he had already studied with the Pole for several years and felt that he had got as much from him as he could possibly get. Sergey had been happy to take him back and was very good about fitting Harry into his schedule; Harry was just lucky that it was the summer season at the Opera House and therefore things weren’t as crazy as they were at other times of the year.  
  
The rest of the musicians slowly dragged themselves in with Ginny Weasley, one of the other violinists, glaring daggers at Harry. Despite him being a couple of years younger than her, the redhead had no qualms about making her interest in Harry known. She had practically stalked him for the first few months, even after Draco had taken Harry under his wing. Harry had never had any interest in girls that way and from what Draco had told him, it was a good thing he hadn’t as Ginny Weasley, unbeknownst to her mother, had rather a lurid history and a notorious reputation amongst the boys (and even a few girls!) of Hogwarts.  
  
Speaking of Draco, Harry was immensely relieved when the blond boy walked in. Along with Hermione, Draco had been his confidant and Harry had been amazed by how good he was about all of this mess, especially when you considered the fact that Severus was Draco’s godfather.  
  
After tuning his violin and receiving the okay from Hermione, Harry turned and nodded at Draco and the harpist. As the first notes of his solo rang out, he tried to lose himself in the music and not listen to the lyrics that Hermione was singing.  
  


_We are the lucky ones_  
We shine like a thousand suns  
When all of the colour runs together

 

I'll keep you company  
In one glorious harmony  
Waltzing with destiny forever

 

Dance me into the night  
Underneath the moon shining so bright  
Turning me into the light

 

Time dances whirling past  
I gaze through the looking glass  
And feel just beyond my grasp is heaven

 

Sacred geometry  
Where movement is poetry  
Visions of you and me forever

 

Dance me into the night  
Underneath the moon shining so bright  
Turning me into the light

 

Dance me into the night  
Underneath the moon shining so bright  
Let the dark waltz begin

 

Oh let me wheel - let me spin  
Let it take me again  
Turning me into the light

  
  
The rehearsal seemed to go on forever, particularly when they got down to rehearsing the minute details – tempo, dynamics, expression etc. Then again, everything seemed to go on forever these days, even his practise. Practising had never been a chore for Harry but recently he seemed to have lost something in his playing. He had been intending to perform Szymanowski’s First Violin Concerto as the winner of the String Department concerto competition but had changed his mind. It had been the concerto he had worked on with Severus, and he didn’t feel confident or happy doing it after having missed a month’s lessons with the man. Instead, he had decided to go back to a piece that he had originally learnt with Sergey and could brush up again in time for the concert the following week; the Shostakovich Violin Concerto No.1.  
  
At the end of the rehearsal he packed up his things and relaxed into the arm that wrapped around his shoulders. Tipping his head back he looked into the slightly concerned features of Draco Lucius Malfoy.  
  
“How are you holding up? You didn’t seem to be yourself when you were playing today.”  
  
Harry sighed loudly. “He’s been gone a month, Draco. Why would he leave for a month now, when I have my final recital and the concerto performances? He has to know. Are you positive that he hasn’t said anything to your parents?”  
  
Draco spun Harry round so that he could hug him tightly. “Come on, put your violin in our suite and grab your things; we’ll drive into Hogsmeade for a coffee.” He glared over his shoulder at Ginny Weasley who wasn’t even trying to be subtle about listening to what they were saying. Harry had become like a younger brother to him and he was inordinately protective about him. “It’s not a good idea to be talking about this here.”  
  
It only took them about half an hour before they were sitting in an out of the way cafe in Hogsmeade, having ordered some cake, sandwiches and tea. Draco was one of the few students to have his own car (another result of having professionally touring musicians for parents) and, despite being seventeen, he had gained his licence abroad and then had it transferred when he returned to England. The car in question was a brand new black Mini Cooper; he had wanted a sports car but agreed with Lucius’ opinion that it wouldn’t cope as well on the Scottish lanes. The two of them (Draco and Harry) often came down to have breakfast in this particular little cafe on a Saturday, as well as coming when they simply needed to get away from things. Draco had wanted to get some food into Harry before he started talking (Harry appeared to be one of those people who didn’t eat well when he was stressed) but the younger boy was looking at him expectantly.  
  
“Ok. Yes, Severus has been in touch with my parents recently. _Very_ recently. As in yesterday. I just haven’t had a chance to say anything yet. He’s been doing a series of concerts in Moscow and Petersburg; he agreed to them at the last minute, literally two days before he flew. He wouldn’t tell my parents why he accepted them. The only other thing he said was that he had done his last concert and would be returning within the next few days, he said something about stopping over in Paris for a couple of days first. He should be back teaching his classes at the beginning of next week.”  
  
Harry groaned. “He would be coming back just when I’m going to London. I’ve got a lesson with Sergey this weekend so I’m going down tomorrow after rehearsals to spend some time with Siri and Remy because they’ve got some time off from the Opera House.”  
  
“Maybe it’s a good thing that you’re going to be in London when he gets back. You don’t want to do anything stupid do you? You have the concert next week and it’s not a minor deal; you’re the soloist and you didn’t pick an easy concerto to play.”  
  
“You know I couldn’t play the Szymanowski. Not when I’d spent so much time working on it with Severus. The Shostakovich was the best way to go and I know I can play it well enough.”  
  
Draco smiled sympathetically and poured the tea. “Yes, I know your reasoning behind choosing to change repertoire. I just don’t want you to get hurt. You need to focus on the concerto and then you can talk to Severus. How does that sound?”  
  
Harry nodded reluctantly. “I suppose you’re right.”  
  
Draco stuck his nose in the air. “Of course I’m right. There’s no ‘suppose’ about it. Malfoys are always right. Now, eat something. You have no excuse any more. Sirius and Remus will have a fit when they see you tomorrow; I swear you’ve lost weight. They’re going to have to feed you up on Remus’ cooking.”  
  
They both grinned at that, and Draco grinned even more at the sight of Harry reaching for sandwiches as well as his cup of (oversweetened) tea. Over the last year he had spent several weekends and even the occasional holiday at Remus and Sirius’ London flat and knew about Remus’ mother-hen tendencies all too well. The violist was an incredible cook, even to Draco’s sophisticated tastes. The boys had come back with so many leftovers and little treats, like home-baked cookies and cakes, that they had been the toast of their classes for several weeks.  
  
“Come on, eat up and drink your tea. As soon as we’re finished we’ll drive back and then I’ll go through the Shostakovich with you.”


	2. Chapter 2

Meanwhile, in Russia...  
  
Severus sighed as he was given the ten-minute call backstage. He had been in Russia for a month now and nothing had changed as far as he was concerned. He had accepted Sacha’s offer in the hope that a month away from Harry would put things into perspective and allow him to realise that it was just lust. Unfortunately, things hadn’t gone as he had expected; if anything, his trip had made him realise that it wasn’t just lust that he felt for his teenage student – he had genuine feelings for him. Even thousands of miles away, vibrant green eyes and that gorgeous smile haunted his dreams. Worse still was the fact that Harry wasn’t just physically attractive, everything about him personality-wise was attractive, and from the amount of time that they had spent together outside of lessons and the shared interests they had apart from music, Severus was certain that a relationship between the two of them would be a success. If it weren’t for the fact that Harry was still only fifteen. For God’s sake, the boy wasn’t even legal yet! If only he were sixteen, then Severus might not feel as guilty. Nevertheless, this was neither the time nor the place to be debating the subject. There would be plenty of time after the god-awful reception he had to attend after the concert.  
  
Fifty minutes later, changed and feeling rather pleased with himself and his rendition of the Tchaikovsky, Severus stepped into the back of the hall to listen to the last piece of the concert; Tchaikovsky’s towering Fifth Symphony. As he lost himself in the music, he considered the thought that in less than six months both he and Harry could be living in Moscow. He had been offered the position of violinist in the Kuzneski Trio, based here in Moscow. The violinist had been a contemporary of his in Petersburg but she was now pregnant with twins and wanted to devote her time to her family. He was incredibly tempted by the offer and not least by the close proximity to Harry in the following year. He hated teaching with a passion; gifted students with the right temperament who were willing to learn were one in a million. He had taken the position at Hogwarts as a favour to Albus. Joining the Kuzneski Trio would allow him to combine his two great loves; chamber music and solo opportunities. The other two members, Dmitri Zusak and Mikhail Kuzneski, both had solo careers that led them across the globe. He would also be able to return to Russia, the place that he regarded as ‘home’. As the majestic finale came to a close he realised with a rueful grin that he had already made his decision. He would be handing in his notice upon his return to Hogwarts.  
  
At the reception afterwards, Severus was as polite and charming as he could be (which was quite a lot despite his Hogwarts persona) but internally he hated every minute of it. Whether it was post-concert receptions or promotional/publicity work, he detested all of it, particularly the sycophantic executives. Just as he had decided that he was going to finish this glass of champagne and leave he was tapped on the shoulder by a man who looked vaguely familiar.  
  
“Severus Snape?”  
  
“Yes?”  
  
“It’s a pleasure to meet you. My name is Pawel Kwiatkowski. You are currently teaching one of my ex-pupils, Harry Evans.”  
  
“Of course.” Severus’ eyes lit up; maybe this reception wouldn’t be a complete waste of time. He was still perplexed though. “I’m sorry. Aside from Harry, do I know you from somewhere? Your face is familiar.”  
  
The Polish man grinned. “I had wondered if you would remember. Yes, I was a few years ahead of you at the Conservatory. I studied with Natalya Osvanyikova.”  
  
“Yes, of course. You’re now the Concertmaster at the Opera Garnier are you not?”  
  
“I am but let’s not talk about me. How is my little Harry doing, eh?” The look on Severus’ face said it all. “That good yes? Come, let’s leave these bureaucrats. I know a little cafe round the corner; wonderful vodka. We drink, you talk and we sort things out.”  
  
That was the other thing that Severus loved about the Russians: everything was solved either with or over vodka. Very civilised.  
  
Having made their excuses to the relevant people, it wasn’t long before they were in a nearby cafe, a top quality bottle of vodka and two shot glasses in front of them. Pawel pulled out a pack of cigarettes and offered one to Severus who refused. As soon as Pawel had lit his cigarette he started talking.  
  
“So, what is the problem with Harry? There is a problem with him yes?”  
  
Severus winced. “Well, the problem isn’t with Harry, it’s about Harry. The problem is with me.” He had to resist the urge to squirm under the older man’s scrutinising look. He was concentrating so much on not-showing his discomfort that he was completely unprepared for Pawel’s next words.  
  
“You’re in love with Harry yes?”  
  
Well, there was no denying it now. “Yes. I’m in love with Harry.”  
  
“And this is a problem how?”  
  
Severus grinned. Of course things were that simple from the Pole’s point of view. “It’s a problem because Harry is only fifteen; he’s not legal in England. If we started a relationship and it was discovered then I could get sent to prison for abuse of a minor.”  
  
“Pah!” Pawel waved a hand in easy dismissal. “You and I both know that Harry may be fifteen in physical years but emotionally he is much more mature.” Severus’ sceptical look was again summarily dismissed. “If it is still a problem, pay a visit to Ms Evans and talk to her. She was a contemporary of yours in Scotland was she not? Think about it?”  
  
The conversation then turned from Harry to the music world; their careers, interpretations, colleagues that they had in common. By the time they left they had drunk a bottle and a half of the finest Russian vodka and Severus couldn’t remember when he had enjoyed himself more with one of his peers, with the exception of Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy.  
  
The next day, suffering from the overindulgence of the previous evening, Severus made a decision he hoped he wouldn’t regret. He phoned the airline and altered his flights home to include a two day stopover in Paris. He then phoned Lily Evans.  
  


~*~

  
  
Severus was uncharacteristically nervous as he approached the cafe opposite the Opera Garnier where he and Lily had arranged to meet. She had originally suggested that they go to her apartment but Severus, knowing that this meeting would be difficult enough for him, had pushed for more neutral ground. Other than when she had dropped Harry off at Hogwarts he hadn’t seen the pianist since their graduation but she had barely changed. As he scanned the tables inside and outside the cafe he realised that she hadn’t yet arrived so he took a seat and ordered a strong black coffee, thinking that he wouldn’t be able to stomach any food until he had got this conversation out of the way. He had a feeling that this wasn’t what Lily had meant all those months ago when she asked him to look after her only son.  
  
All too soon he saw the familiar flame red hair weaving through the crowd of pedestrians towards the cafe. Really, he mused, Lily had barely changed at all since they were both students at Hogwarts. The redhead waved at him before she collared a waiter and gave him her order in absolutely flawless French. That taken care of she leaned down and kissed Severus on both cheeks before she sat down.  
  
“Not that this isn’t a lovely surprise, but what the hell are you doing in Paris, Sev? What the hell were you doing in Russia for that matter? You should have been in Hogwarts teaching. I had a phone call from Harry a month ago saying that you’d just upped and left; no one had a clue where you were, and Albus was refusing to talk. Harry’s had to go back to having lessons in London with Sergey for the last month when you should have been teaching him. He’s playing the Szymanowski concerto in performance NEXT WEEK! You’d better have a bloody good explanation for this, Severus Snape.”  
  
Severus had forgotten just what a fiery temper the petite woman had. It was always amusing to watch her lose her temper when they were students but if you were on the receiving end... well, it wasn’t pretty. He winced inwardly; God knows what her reaction would be to what he was about to tell her. Well, he could either skirt around the subject or dive right in and confess. Taking a deep breath, he opted for the latter.  
  
“I do have a good explanation for this. It’s all about Harry.”  
  
Lily’s eyes narrowed. “What do you mean ‘it’s all about Harry’?”  
  
Severus was really wishing that he had some of that vodka from the other night. Oh well, there was nothing he could do but say it. He would just have to hope that Pawel was right. And bank on the fact that because they were in a public place, Lily might refrain from killing him.  
  
“I’m in love with Harry.”  
  
“What?” Lily choked on her mouthful of coffee. “Would you mind repeating what you just said? I don’t think I heard you properly.”  
  
“I’m in love with Harry.”  
  
“Harry? My son Harry? The fifteen year old violinist who is your student Harry?”  
  
Severus nodded miserably, all the problems with his feelings rushing to the fore as Lily spelt out the most obvious ones. He was shocked by the woman’s next question though.  
  
“Are you actually in love with him or is it just lust?”  
  
“I’m sorry?” He couldn’t have heard her correctly.  
  
“Do you actually want a relationship with him or do you just want to shag him and then discard him and hope he doesn’t report you to the police for sex with a minor?”  
  
He had forgotten how blunt she could be as well. Lily never wasted her time on flowery platitudes or vapid sentences. She got straight to the point and if you didn’t like her manner then that was just tough.  
  
“I want a relationship with him.”  
  
The last was said into the table as he stared morosely at his coffee. His head snapped up in surprise as Lily reached over and clasped his hand in hers.  
  
“How long has this been going on Severus? Have you said anything to Harry?”  
  
Black eyes widened. “No, of course I haven’t mentioned anything to Harry. You said it yourself, the concept of a relationship between the two of us is illegal. Harry’s my student and thus I’m in a position of trust. More than that, he’s not yet reached the age of consent. As for how long it’s been going on; I was smitten by the end of his first lesson. You have a truly amazing son Lily.”  
  
The redhead smiled. “Well, of course I do. He’s Harry. Now, tell me honestly, why did you phone me and ask to meet up? What made your mind up? And why go to Russia?”  
  
“I went to Russia because I had to get away from Harry. I had to try and put some distance between us before I did something I would regret. Sacha phoned and offered me a month of concerts and I jumped at the chance. I thought that maybe with thousands of miles between us then I might be able to put things in perspective and see whether I did actually have strong feelings for him. It didn’t work however. He haunted my thoughts just as much in Russia as he does in Scotland. Two nights ago I played my last concert in Moscow, and at the drinks reception I ran into Pawel Kwiatkowski, Harry’s former teacher. It was he who advised that I speak to you.”  
  
Lily nodded, knowing precisely what the Polish violinist would have told her old friend. After so many years of Pawel teaching Harry she knew the man and felt as though he was practically a part of her family. Being a few years older than her, he had fallen into the role of an older brother during her years in Paris.  
  
“Let me guess. Pawel said that you should definitely consider a relationship with him. That Harry is emotionally advanced beyond his years?”  
  
Severus nodded. “That is precisely what he said. He was the one who suggested that I make a detour via Paris to talk to you and seek your opinion.”  
  
“I agree with him.”  
  
Lily’s response had Severus’ jaw dropping. “I’m sorry. What?”  
  
“I agree with Pawel. I know that I shouldn’t be agreeing seeing as you’re Harry’s teacher, fourteen years older than him and he’s under the age of sixteen. However, Pawel is right. Harry is much more emotionally mature than his age would suggest. It’s part of the reason that I refused to let him go to Russia this year and why I sent him to Hogwarts. He’s always been with people who are much older than him in Paris and he’s had to adjust accordingly. I was concerned that his social skills and social life were suffering; everything that I told you back in September. He’s never been in a relationship before but I trust you to look after him.”  
  
“You’re really accepting this aren’t you? Despite the fact that you are essentially agreeing to aid and abet an illegal relationship, you are happy for me to reveal my feelings to your son.”  
  
Lily gave a determined nod. “Yes I am. Besides, there is somebody else involved in this and we need to take his feelings into account. Harry. He’s known for a long time that he was gay but he’s never felt strongly enough about anybody to attempt a relationship. However, he is interested in someone at the moment.” Here she arched an eyebrow at Severus. “Someone who he felt it was inappropriate for him to feelings for.”  
  
Severus gaped once more. “Are you suggesting that Harry has feelings for _me_?”  
  
Lily nodded. “I had a phone call from Sirius just after Harry started at Hogwarts. Harry had phoned Sirius and Remus in tears, unhappy because he had feelings for somebody that he felt he shouldn’t. From the information he gave them, they put two and two together and realised he was talking about you. You need to talk to him. You also need to get your arse back to Hogwarts to teach my son. Remember, he has a concerto performance next week!”  
  
Lily finished her coffee and stood up, bending over to press kisses to Severus’ cheeks. As she did so, she leaned further in and whispered in his ear. ”You mess him around or screw around with him and there won’t be anywhere on the planet where you’ll be able to hide from his godfathers and me. We will kill you, slowly and painfully.”  
  
She leant back up and gave her usual cheerful smile. “I’ve got to go Sev; I have a rehearsal at the Conservatoire. It was lovely to see you. Au revoir!”  
  
As she disappeared off into the crowds, Severus sighed and shook his head. He would never understand women. Ever.  
  


~*~

  
  
A week later...  
  
Harry checked his appearance in the full-length mirror and deemed it acceptable before turning to his case, removing his violin and tuning it carefully. He was more nervous about this than he was willing to admit and he was incredibly grateful to Draco for putting up with him during the last few days. He still hadn’t seen Severus since his return from Russia yet Harry knew that his teacher was in the audience waiting for the performance to start. Also in the audience were his godfathers, both of whom had a rare couple of days off from the Royal Opera House. Lily, on the other hand, wasn’t there, as she was required to perform in a concert in Paris. Draco had decided to stay backstage with him rather than watching from out front and he stuck his head round the door, telling Harry that it was time for him to make his way onstage.  
  
Harry made his way to the stage door just in time to hear the end of the orchestral tuning and turned to Draco with a strained smile. The blond smiled sympathetically, and pulled Harry into a tight hug.  
  
“You’ll be fine. You’ve performed this concerto before and you can play it wonderfully. You need to forget about Severus for the duration of the performance, or think about him only if it helps you gain the emotion you need. You’ll be fantastic, and I will be right here waiting for you to come back.”  
  
Harry nodded and took a deep breath before he signalled to the backstage crewmember to open the door. Knowing that Draco was right, and that he needed to channel every ounce of emotion he had been feeling towards Severus and the whole damn situation into his performance, he took a deep breath, squared his shoulders and walked out onto the stage to the applause of the audience.  
  
Emotional turmoil, personal crisis, whatever, it was all pushed to the back of his mind. He was a violinist, a musician, a performer. This is what he did. This was what he did well.  
  
This was where he belonged.  
  
On the stage.  
  
Nodding at the conductor, he adjusted his shoulder rest, checked the tightness of his bow and raised his violin to his shoulder.  
  
Nothing but the music mattered now. Severus Snape could wait.  
  


~*~

  
  
Six weeks later...  
  
Harry took a deep breath as he straightened his concert dress and reached for the glass of water; his throat was feeling rather dry and he was starting to get just a little bit nervous. Each competition winner from the individual departments had performed the concerto of their choice with the junior orchestra in the last couple of months. but the teaching staff also picked one of those winners to perform a concerto with the main symphony orchestra, the elite of the elite, in the final concert of the school year. This concert would be attended by pupils, staff, family and friends, as well as professionals within the music industry. The staff had picked Harry to perform and Draco would be conducting the orchestra. Not wanting to play the same concerto twice and hoping to push himself even harder, Harry had decided against the Shostakovich and gone for the Tchaikovsky, which, though more of a crowd-pleaser, better suited his mood.  
  
Things had changed since Severus’ return from Russia. Things had definitely changed. When he had played the Shostakovich it had fitted his melancholy mood perfectly; his heart was in Russia with Severus. The Nocturne was always described as depicting a dark Siberian night, and the barely masked sorrow that most violinists only hinted at in the finale was brought to the fore by the unhappy teenager. The Tchaikovsky, therefore, couldn’t have been more of change. Compared to the depression of the Shostakovich, Tchaikovsky’s concerto, the ultimate in violin romanticism, virtually radiated sunshine.  
  
Harry looked up as the door opened and his teacher slipped through the gap. Harry had been at Remus and Sirius’ house in London following a lesson with Sergey when he received a phone call from his mother. She had asked him how he truly felt about his violin teacher (it would appear that Sirius had a big mouth and had told his mother about their conversation all those months ago). She had informed him that she didn’t care how he felt about Severus she just wanted to know the truth. When Harry had admitted that he was in love with him, or that he thought he was, she had told him rather cryptically that whatever happened he had her blessing (as well as Remus and Sirius’) and all she ever wanted was for him to be happy. He had finally figured out what she meant at his first lesson after his return to Hogwarts.  
  


_**Flashback**_

  
  
Harry was definitely apprehensive walking into the small recital hall for his first lesson after Severus’ return from Russia. After his mother’s rather confusing phone call at the weekend, Harry had been replaying her words over and over in his head. He couldn’t understand why she had told him that he had her blessing or why she hadn’t berated him when he had admitted that he was in love with his teacher.  
  
Harry peeked into the room and saw Severus sitting in his usual place, looking just as he had before he went away. Harry knew that he had to go in; he couldn’t avoid things any more.  
  
“Severus?”  
  
The man’s head snapped up and Harry was more than slightly relieved to see some warmth enter his obsidian eyes.  
  
“Harry, come in. Don’t hover in the doorway.”  
  
Harry walked in slowly, placing his violin and bag on top of the piano as usual before sitting on the edge of the platform. His head to snapped up in shock as his teacher spoke.  
  
“I wanted to apologise to you, Harry. It wasn’t fair for me to act as I did, particularly without speaking to you first, and I am very sorry. It was completely unjust to you, particularly with your concerto coming up.” He smiled slightly. “You did very well with the Shostakovich by the way. I thought you were going to play the Szymanowski. Did you change your mind because I left?”  
  
Harry nodded slightly. “A bit.” He paused, trying to decide how to phrase his next words. “It didn’t feel right playing the Szymanowski. I mean, I’d done all the work on it with you, and then to go back to Sergey with it for a month before playing it in concert? I couldn’t do it and I didn’t feel able to do the piece justice. I learnt the Shostakovich with Sergey last year and I’d played it in performance before. I was confident enough that I could play it well. Besides, it suited my mood.”  
  
The last sentence was said quietly but Severus still managed to catch it and gave a bark of almost cynical laughter.  
  
“A bleak Siberian winter suited your mood?”  
  
Harry looked hurt, something that Severus was surprised at. He quickly hid the hurt though and his face took on an almost blank look, something that didn’t suit him at all. “Yes, it did actually.”  
  
Severus sighed. “OK. We need to discuss things later, after your lesson. We must to get on with your recital repertoire seeing as the performance is in three weeks. You said that you went back to Sergey? Have you been studying your recital pieces with him?” When Harry nodded Severus looked slightly happier. “Good, let’s start with the Bach then. I think it’s probably a good idea to begin with the Chaconne in your recital; it’s not always wise to open with Bach but you’ll just have to ensure that you’re sufficiently warmed up.”  
  
After the month’s hiatus, the lesson went on for two hours so that Severus could go over Harry’s entire recital programme. Harry was completely exhausted by the time they finished. However, he was hyper-aware of Severus’ earlier words: ‘We need to discuss things later, after your lesson.’ He packed up slowly, but not so slowly as to be obvious, and was rewarded when Severus came up behind him and touched him gently on the shoulder.  
  
“Harry? We really should talk about things and I, in particular, have a lot of explaining to do. Are you free now? We can go to my office and discuss things over a cup of tea.”  
  
Harry nodded and trailed after the Severus to his office, feeling rather apprehensive but aware at the same time that he needed to know what had happened. Walking into the room, he put down his violin and bag before sitting down at his teacher’s request. He declined the offer of a cup of tea, not wanting to be placated, he just wanted to know what was going on, what had gone on. He waited impatiently as the older man made himself a cup of tea and then sat down, apparently gathering his thoughts. After what seemed to Harry to be an interminable wait, the man eventually spoke.  
  
“As I said earlier Harry, I want to apologise for my treatment of you. It was highly unprofessional and I can’t apologise enough. You deserve to know why I accepted the engagement in Russia and all I ask is that you listen to everything that I have to say. Do you understand me?”  
  
Harry nodded. “Yes Severus. Will you tell me now?”  
  
Severus took a large gulp of tea, not sure whether he was doing it to calm himself or stall for time. “Very well, I will tell you now. I’m sure you’re aware that it was a last minute engagement. I accepted the concert series because I wanted to try and escape something here.” He could sense that Harry wanted to ask questions so he forged ahead with his explanation. “I have been struggling with ... inappropriate feelings for one of my students. If I am being honest in my explanation, then I have been struggling with inappropriate feelings for you.”  
  
Here, he held up a hand to stall the questions that Harry obviously wanted to ask. “Please, I need to finish this. You need to understand Harry, this has never happened to me before. It was not the fact that you are male, it was the fact that you were, you _are_ , my student and not only that, you are underage. I am fourteen years your senior, I was a peer of your mother and godfathers. It was not suitable. I struggled with my feelings all year but nothing I did seemed to make a difference. I was unable to rid myself of them. In desperation, I accepted Sacha’s request to go to Russia. I had hoped that the distance from you would enable me to gain some perspective.”  
  
Here he smiled ruefully. “I had no such luck. You haunted my dreams there just as you haunt them here. On my last evening in Moscow I had an illuminating conversation with your old teacher, Pawel. He advised me that I should make my feelings known and that if I still had issues with the morality then I should talk to your mother. I did as he advised and stopped in Paris on my way back here.”  
  
Harry couldn’t help himself at this point and broke in. “That’s the reason that I had the strange phone call from Mum last time I was in London. She’d just spoken to you.”  
  
“Yes, your mother seemed to think that the feelings I had for you weren’t completely one-sided.” Here he merely raised a single eyebrow in question, not being capable of vocalising the question.  
  
Harry blushed brightly. “If you’re trying to ask whether I have feelings for you then the answer is yes. I fancied you even before I became a student here. Remus and Sirius knew and so did Draco but I didn’t tell mum until she phoned last weekend.”  
  
Harry’s head snapped up as something clicked. “Hang on, mum’s conversation. She said that she didn’t care what happened as long as I was happy. What did she mean? Was she giving permission to ... erm, well, you know.”  
  
Severus was momentarily distracted by the incredibly attractive blush that was spread across Harry’s cheeks. “Yes, she was. However, just because Lily doesn’t object doesn’t mean that there aren’t issues. You’re my student and more than that you’re underage. I won’t force you into anything and anything sexual between the two of us is illegal until you reach the age of sixteen.”  
  
“But you’re saying that you want to be with me?” Harry had lost his patience by now.  
  
Severus pushed his dark hair off his face and grimaced. “Yes, I’m saying that I want to be with you. _If that is what you want._ I don’t want to force you into anything.”  
  
Harry’s face lit up. “Yes, it’s what I want.”  
  
“Very well then. We will discuss the matter further once you are not my student. Nothing can happen until you’re no longer a student of mine and only when you are over the age of sixteen.”  
  
Harry nodded reluctantly and stood, picking up his things as Severus also stood. The two of them walked over to the door and Severus opened it. Harry started to leave but turned back and bit his lip before standing on tip-toe and balancing himself with one hand on Severus’ chest. Quickly, too quickly for Severus to protest, he leaned up and kissed his teacher. Severus pulled the lithe body closer and responded before he realised what he was doing.  
  
“This is precisely what cannot happen, Harry. I think it’s best that you go now before we do something that I will regret. I will see you in two days for your performance seminar.”  
  


_**End Flashback**_

  
  
Harry’s virginity was still intact, thanks to Severus’ moral integrity, and Severus was determined that it would remain that way until his birthday. Harry knew that Severus had issues with the whole sex thing, seeing as Harry was underage and Severus was in a position of trust, but after that didn’t mean that Harry wasn’t willing to push the boundaries.  
  


_**Flashback**_

  
  
Harry knocked on the door to Severus’ rooms clutching his score for the Tchaikovsky. Severus had agreed to go over it with him prior to his first rehearsal with Draco and the orchestra the following day. As he walked into the room he looked around curiously, never having been there before. There were scores and books everywhere, piles of music on the furniture and the floor plus floor-to-ceiling bookcases filled with CDs and records. There were also quite a few photos of Severus in action playing the violin, photos of the Malfoy family and even a few of Harry’s mum.  
  
Harry turned down his teacher’s offer of a drink and instead settled down on the floor with his score, a pencil and several highlighters. It took nearly two hours for them to go through the entire score, double-checking tempi and dynamics, adamant that every single expression be perfect. Harry would repeat this process tomorrow morning over breakfast with Draco, and he grinned as he knew that Draco’s score was already full of notes and highlighted points; it would look like a child’s drawing by the time they were finished with their meeting.  
  
Finally, they reached the end of the concerto. Harry thanked the older man and stood up to leave. Severus stood at the same time and the move brought the two of them chest to chest. Harry’s breath instantly sped up and he looked up at Severus through lowered eyelashes.  
  
Severus groaned at the sight; Harry had no idea how gorgeous he was, and all without trying. He could tempt a saint.  
  
“I think you’d better go now Harry. Regardless of what your mother said, you’re still my student and you’re still underage. However much I want you I can’t do this. I’ll see you in rehearsal tomorrow.”  
  
Severus practically shoved the teenager out of the door, studiously ignoring the rather delicious pout that now adorned the full lips and leant back against the closed door. He knew he had made the right decision but these last few days were going to be pure torture.  
  


_**End Flashback**_

  
  
Harry leaned back into the taller body behind him as arms wrapped around his waist. He felt a gentle kiss being placed on the crown of his head and relaxed minutely. He could do this. He had been performing concertos since before he was a teenager, but none of them had seemed to matter as much as this one.  
  
“Your mum and your godfathers are in the audience. If I’m not mistaken, Lily was crying already and berating Sirius to ensure that he had taken the lens cap off the camcorder. I believe Remus was trying to calm her down and keep the peace; whether he has managed it, we will have to see.”  
  
Severus smiled at the reflection of the two of them in the mirror.  
  
“You will be wonderful. This isn’t the first time that you’ve played this concerto and it won’t be the last. The staff wouldn’t have picked you to play unless they believed that you could do it. I believe that you can do it. All you need to do is go out there and prove to them just how talented and amazing you are.”  
  
Harry grinned. “Thanks Sev; that was exactly what I needed to hear.”  
  
Taking a deep breath, he picked up his violin and started to walk out of the room. Just as he had unlocked the door and was about to leave, he turned and made his way back to Severus. Being careful of the violin in his hands, he stood on tiptoe again and gave Severus a passionate kiss.  
  
“I love you Sev.”  
  
He was gone before Severus had the chance to return the sentiment.  
  


~*~

  
  
Harry waited just behind the stage door, checking the tuning of his violin as the last strains of the orchestra tuning to the oboe drifted through the heavy doors. There was the sound of footsteps behind him and he turned to see Draco standing behind him clutching his baton. He grinned at the Harry and leaned down to press a brotherly kiss to his forehead.  
  
“You’re going to be incredible. Come on, let’s do this.”  
  
With that, he nodded to the student who was miked up and working for the backstage crew. The door opened and Draco pushed Harry in front of him as they made their way out into the darkened auditorium to the applause of the audience.  
  
Taking his spot just in front of the front desk of the first violins, Harry turned to the oboist, the slightly dippy but amazing Luna Lovegood, and retuned his violin. He then turned to Draco and nodded, indicating that he was ready. Draco had drawn criticism from his tutors and Harry knew that there was some controversy among the professionals in the audience about the fact that he had chosen to conduct the entire concert without a score, particularly where the concerto was concerned. It wasn’t the easiest concerto to conduct, but what the audience wasn’t aware of was the sheer number of hours that the duo had put in together. They had done some full-length rehearsals with the orchestra, spent hours going over the score in their suite and in their little cafe in Hogsmeade over countless pots of tea, and frequently rehearsed as a duo. Despite the fact that Draco’s scholarship to Russia was as a conductor, his first study at Hogwarts was piano and he was a truly gifted pianist. Thus, he knew the piano reduction of the Tchaikovsky backwards.  
  
Looking out into the audience, Harry’s eyes were immediately drawn to the centre of the auditorium where his mum sat with his godfathers and Severus. He smiled at them but then he heard the opening melody of the orchestral introduction and he was lost in the music. He had twenty-two bars before his entry and was utterly focused on that. He heard the shift of harmony in the orchestra as they played an A minor chord and lifted his violin to his shoulder. Three bars later he came in and that was it, he was swept away. He was completely unaware of the audience, the stage lights, even to an extent the fact that there was an orchestra and conductor behind him. He was just lost in the music.  
  
Forty minutes later Harry played his last D major chord and was drawn out of his little world by the almost startlingly loud applause of the audience. He knew instinctively that it had been great, and if the rapturous applause of the public didn’t tell him that then the elated grin on Draco’s face definitely did. The blond stepped off his platform and pulled Harry into a huge hug, holding him tightly.  
  
“You did it, Harry. It was incredible.”  
  
Harry grinned as they exchanged a brotherly kiss, feeling rather pleased with himself and his interpretation. He turned to shake hands with the leader of the orchestra and bowed for the audience before walking off the stage with Draco. They had barely stepped through the stage door before they were walking back out for another bow. Draco took a back seat, letting Harry receive the credit for his performance, before singling out the soloists from the orchestra. As he pointed out Luna, Harry grinned and stepped between the second violins and the violas to hand her the single rose that he had been presented with by a bashful second year. Luna smiled happily and kissed him on the cheek. At this gesture the audience went even wilder, many of them giving the teenage violinist, the conductor and the orchestra a standing ovation.  
  
After four bows, an ecstatic Harry left the stage for his dressing room, with the audience still on their feet at the knowledge that they had just seen a performance by a violinist who could, and undoubtedly would, follow in his teacher’s footsteps with the title of best English violinist of his generation.  
  


~*~

  
  
Three months later both men were at Heathrow airport, surrounded by Harry’s family and the Malfoys, who had earlier seen Draco onto his flight for St. Petersburg. Harry was unhappy about leaving his mum and his godfathers so far behind, but he was particularly excited about the fact that Severus had accepted the post with the Kuzneski Trio and would be with him in Moscow, with Draco relatively nearby in St. Petersburg.  
  
Harry hugged his godfathers, suffering through Sirius’ dramatic (and fake) tears and Remus’ mother-henning with good grace, knowing that he was going to miss them like crazy. He was pleased that he would only have to go six weeks before he next saw them (he was coming home for a long weekend in October) and that they, along with Lily, were coming out to spend Christmas with him and Severus.  
  
Harry then turned to his mum, hugging her tightly and trying to ignore the tears that were dripping down her face as she kissed him multiple times. He leaned his head up and kissed her on the cheek.  
  
“I’m sorry mum but we’re going to have to go; boarding closes in just over five minutes and we can’t miss this flight.” He hugged her even tighter and leaned in to whisper in her ear. “Thank you for letting Severus tell me how he felt; it means a lot to me. I really do love him.”  
  
Lily smiled a little mistily through her tears. “No problem. I know you do and I know he loves you. I’m going to miss you little one. Now go on, otherwise you’ll to miss your flight. Don’t forget to ring me as soon as you can.”  
  
Harry nodded and moved away from her, picking up his violin and messenger bag before he took Severus’ hand. The two of them walked away from the group and towards the flight attendant to whom Severus handed their passports and boarding cards. The woman nodded after checking them and handed them back, allowing the two men to walk down the gangway towards the plane and their new life.  


**Author's Note:**

> If you would prefer to comment on LJ, you can do so [here](http://vix-spes.livejournal.com/94893.html)


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